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ZyGEM Licenses Rights to DNA Purification Technology from WaikatoLink
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ZyGEM Corp. Ltd. has announced that it has entered into an agreement with WaikatoLink, the technology transfer and commercialization unit of the University of Waikato, for exclusive worldwide rights to its intellectual property for a product for DNA purification.
The new product technology allows blocking of all DNA contamination from samples destined for use in sensitive DNA-based diagnostic tests and analyses, including tests where contamination from even a single molecule would result in failure. ZyGEM intends to make the Nucleic Acid Sequestering (NAS) technology available to customers shortly.
“This new technology is an ideal fit with ZyGEM’s current portfolio of DNA-related products, including our unique families of kits that provide for simple, fast, accurate and cost effective DNA extraction from a wide variety of samples,” said Paul Kinnon, CEO of ZyGEM.
“By removing DNA contaminants from samples before amplification using a simple and efficient process, our NAS technology has the potential for wide application in sample preparation and clean-up, which is critical for achieving accurate results in many diagnostic, forensics, basic research and enzyme manufacturing applications.”
The NAS purification technology has many potential uses, such as in the microbiology field where contaminating DNA in reagents and laboratory water limits the ability of scientists to analyze environmental samples.
The technique is expected to be of utility in trace DNA analysis of forensic samples and in the detection of a single virus or bacterium in clinical diagnostics applications. While the new approach has similar properties to the enzyme DNAse1, which eliminates what scientists often call garbage DNA and other cellular leftovers in the body by biochemically chopping them into tiny fragments for easier removal, NAS technology achieves this in a simpler and more efficient manner.
ZyGEM’s enzyme-based products and technologies are based on the company’s exclusive collection of microorganisms from extreme environments. Its technology has significant competitive advantages over existing methods and has applications in a number of sizeable global markets.
ZyGEM was originally established with the help of WaikatoLink to commercialize unique DNA extraction methods developed in collaboration by University of Waikato and University of Auckland researchers. The company has offices in New Zealand and the U.S.
Further details of the agreement were not disclosed.
